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Monday, December 21, 2015

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL GAME BETWEEN CENTENNIAL AND DE LA SALLE FEATURES HARD PLAY, SPORTSMANSHIP

By Eric Sondheimer | Varsity Times Insider/LA Times | http://lat.ms/1mwhEet

Dec. 21, 2015::It was the final high school football game of
a season that stretched over five months of games and 20 weeks of practices.
Concord De La Salle came away with its seventh state title since state bowl
games began in 2006, defeating Corona Centennial, 28-21, in a rousing CIF Open
Division final Saturday night at Sacramento State.

Afterward, watching running back J.J. Taylor of Centennial
shake hands and receive hugs from the same De La Salle players who spent 48
minutes trying to tackle him offered a glimpse of why so much effort and
commitment is put in.

Taylor, 5 feet 6 and 170 pounds, had 169 yards in 29
carries. Twice on fourth down, he was stopped an inch or two away from a first
down that could have changed the outcome of the game. That's how evenly matched
these two powerful programs have become.

When the game was over and De La Salle players went to
celebrate and Centennial players stood in disappointment, everyone soon lined
up to congratulate each other in a tradition that continues to make sports
special at any level.

The fact De La Salle (13-1) came out ahead of Centennial
(14-1) to take home the championship trophy showed that the Spartans remain the
team to beat in California prep football no matter the venue, no matter the
opponent.

There were lots of lessons from a season featuring
extraordinary moments of scoring, remarkable play at the receiver position and
plenty of successes and failures.

The bowl games expanded to 13 this season and the top five
games were moved from Carson to Sacramento. Attendance wasn't great (14,626
over two days), but Hornet Stadium is a good facility and based on the many
teenagers showing tears of joy and tears of sadness after games, it's clear the
participants truly care what happens.

It was a season not without controversy. There were forfeits
because of ineligible players. There were teams that ended their seasons
prematurely because of injuries and dwindling rosters. There were continuing
concerns raised about concussions and whether playing 16 games in a high school
season is too long.

Changes are coming. The Southern Section is expected to
adopt a playoff structure in January that will result in teams being put in
divisions based on their last two years of accomplishments rather than based on
what league they play in. That means Mission Viejo, with a 28-game winning
streak, will be moving to the revamped Pac-5, and longtime Pac-5 schools will
be moving out.

Most importantly, coaches shouldn't forget why they are
needed. Regardless of a game's outcome, their job is to teach life lessons, and
Coach Matt Logan of Centennial should be proud because his top player (Taylor)
gets it.

Asked whether he was frustrated, Taylor said, "Not
really. I did what I tried to do and the team did what we tried to do. It
didn't work out as planned. It's life. It happens."